40. The Continued Fight Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

40. The Continued Fight Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

Today we're talking about a project that has sparked years of debate over energy, environmental protection, and the future of rural communities. Our guest is Bruce Coffey with BREDL's Preserve Bent Mountain Chapter, an organization working to protect the Bent Mountain community from the Mountain Valley Pipeline. In this episode, Bruce shares what makes Bent Mountain such a special place, explains the route and purpose of the pipeline, and discusses why so many local residents have opposed the project. We explore the environmental and public health impacts, hear about the community's organizing efforts, get an update on where the project stands today, and ask the big question: Is this pipeline even necessary? Finally, we'll talk about how listeners can get involved and support the ongoing work to protect Bent Mountain.  Contact and connect with Bruce: chefbruce2002@yahoo.com [chefbruce2002@yahoo.com]  https://archive.bredl.org/safeguard_americas_resources/200910_BREDL_Motion_to_Intervene_MVP_Extension_Request.html [https://archive.bredl.org/safeguard_americas_resources/200910_BREDL_Motion_to_Intervene_MVP_Extension_Request.html]

39. Restoring the Buffalo Niagara Watershed

On today's episode, we're joined by Jennifer Fee, Director of Communications & Marketing at Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. Water is at the heart of Western New York, and protecting it is more important than ever.  We talk about the organization's mission to protect and restore our local waterways, the health of the Buffalo Niagara watershed, the biggest challenges facing our rivers and lakes, and how the community has gotten involved in preserving these incredible natural resources. https://bnwaterkeeper.org/ [https://bnwaterkeeper.org/]

38. Beyond Borders: What U.S. and Swedish Environmental Policies Teach Us

We're comparing Sweden and the United States. If you've ever traveled to Sweden, you've probably noticed how clean the cities are, how much public transportation is used, and how seriously recycling is taken. On the other hand, the United States is home to some of the world's most important environmental research, groundbreaking clean-energy companies, and national parks that have inspired conservation efforts across the globe. So why do these two countries have such different environmental laws? Is Sweden really as environmentally friendly as its reputation suggests? And does the United States deserve its reputation for having weaker environmental protections? We look at the differences in systems, climate policy, energy production, pollution prevention, recycling and prevention, transportation, forests and nature, and the strengths of each country. As always, the answer is more complicated than it first appears.

37. Protecting One of North America’s Most Biodiverse River Systems

Today’s guest is Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, Executive Director and Riverkeeper for the Coosa River Basin Initiative, an organization dedicated to protecting one of the most biologically diverse river systems in North America. Stretching across the southeastern United States, the Coosa River Basin is home to an extraordinary range of freshwater species and ecosystems, many of which exist nowhere else on Earth. But this watershed also faces mounting threats from pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, rapid development, and biodiversity loss. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to protect a watershed, and how Indigenous history, environmental justice, and community action are deeply connected to conservation. We also talk about PFAS contamination, restoration efforts, and the idea that “we all live downstream.” Contact and connect: https://coosa.org/ [https://coosa.org/]

36. Holding Ground: Climate Resilience in Lowland Communities

Today’s guest is Kristina Peterson, a facilitator with the Lowlander Center [https://www.lowlandercenter.org?utm_source=chatgpt.com], an organization supporting lowland and coastal communities facing climate change, land loss, displacement, and environmental injustice.  A lowland is an area of land at a relatively low elevation, often located near coastlines, rivers, wetlands, or floodplains. Because these areas sit close to sea level, they are especially vulnerable to flooding, hurricanes, erosion, sea level rise, and other climate-related impacts. In this conversation, we discuss what makes lowland communities especially vulnerable, how climate change impacts culture and identity as much as infrastructure, and how community-led resilience projects are helping shape a more sustainable future. Contact and connect: https://www.lowlandercenter.org/ [https://www.lowlandercenter.org/]